- Joined
- Oct 30, 2003
- Messages
- 18,363
- Location
- Santa Maria, California
- Aircraft
- Givens Predator
- Total Flight Time
- 2600+ in rotorcraft
Most Pilots’ Operating Handbooks go into the effect of density altitude at length.All this about take-off distance as a fixed number.
And not one mention of density height affecting performance...
Cheers
Erik
In the USA the FAA will have several questions about the effects of density altitude on all kinds of things on the knowledge test.
In flight reviews I find the effect of density altitude is often an area where pilots’ knowledge is a little vague.
Some questions to ask yourself are:
How is density altitude calculated?
How does density altitude affect my takeoff performance?
How much takeoff distance do I need to clear a fifty foot obstacle at a five thousand foot density altitude?
When landing at high density altitude do I need to use a different indicated air speed on approach to land?
How does density altitude affect my ground speed?
How do ground obstructions affect my takeoff and climb performance when it is windy?
Where is my abort point when the takeoff does not appear to be going as expected?
There have been accidents where these questions were not answered correctly as part of the accident chain.
The answers are all easy to find or calculate even if they are not covered in your POH.
The answers to this questions are supposed to be addressed in your phase one for an experimental aircraft.
In my opinion phase one is more than simply flying off hours.